Even having to replace 10 NFL draft picks, Georgia football still brings back one of the most loaded rosters in the country.
The Bulldogs placed seven players on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Teams for the 2023 season.
Landing on the first team was tight end Brock Bowers, center Sedrick Van Pran and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Bowers won the Mackey Award last season as the nation’s top tight end and led Georgia in receiving. Van Pran returns for his third year as a starter for the Bulldogs and is perhaps the top center in the country. Dumas-Johnson seems primed to build off his strong sophomore season and could be the next Georgia linebacker to win the Butkus Award.
Nakobe Dean and Roquan Smith have won the award while playing for Glenn Schumann.
On the second team, Stelee tabbed defensive backs Javon Bullard and Malaki Starks as selections. Bullard was named the defensive MVP in both of Georgia’s College Football Playoff wins last season and will slide into the safety spot next to Starks for the coming season.
As a freshman, Starks started in 14 games for Georgia and was named a Freshman All-American. He more than lived up to his 5-star billing and is poised to help a secondary that has to replace First-Team All-American Chris Smith. Tykee Smith is expected to take Bullard’s spot at the star position.
Landing on the third team was guard Tate Ratledge and defensive end Mykel Williams. Ratledge started 14 games for Georgia last season and will be a key cog on what is perhaps the best offensive line in the country.
Williams led Georgia in sacks last season as a freshman. If he continues to make progress, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him emerge as one of the top defensive players in the country as a sophomore.
No team had more selections than Georgia, with Alabama and Ohio State just behind the Bulldogs with six selections. Georgia’s three first-team selections were also the most from any one school.
Michigan and USC were next up with five players each.
The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships and will no doubt have a team capable of doing so yet again in 2023. The Bulldogs open the coming season on Sept. 2, when they take on UT-Martin at home. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. ET start.
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